A Bit Of Gold
by d.colonx
Summary: Erisol Humanstuck AU. Erifef at the beginning. M for future events.
1. Chapter 1

It was early evening. The clouds had slowly parted to reveal the beautiful sun casting its colors over the deep blue water, the orange and reds spreading like a dress across its reflective surface. The waves were soft and calming, like a gentle push along the sandy shores of the docks. Out in the distance you could see the silhouettes of the seagulls cawing, calling out to each other after their supper, reuniting with each other to fly to their homes.

The shouts of a strong, older man, bearing his white captain's hat with a golden plaque, two small wave symbols engraved into it. He waved across to the shore as his small boat was pulled towards one of the docks. It wasn't a large boat, but neither was it small. It was gleaming white, mirroring the colors of the early sunset here and there. The floorboards were polished mahogany, and on the helm was a small, triangular purple flag, two golden, horizontal, zigzagged lines across it. It waved lazily along the gentle breeze, dipping and swaying along as the boat rocked, the man fixing his white captain's suit before hearing his name called.

A young boy, his dark brown wavy hair blowing slightly, regardless of the caked gel it had. He wore a short sleeved purple and white striped shirt, and khaki shorts with dark brown flip flops that slapped against the wooden floorboards as he ran towards his father. He smiled, his teeth neatly arranged into pearly white rows behind his lips, his oversized glasses gleaming in the evening light. The boy opened his arms as he ran, the man in the captain's suit bending down to pick him up and hoist him onto the dock with a grunt.

"Look who's growin' up to be a big man! Aye, you'll be a mighty good captain at this rate. I might even let you wear the official cap sayin' so." The man stated, a strange smile on his lips, as if his face had not seen joy in perhaps a very long time.

"You got tha' right! I'm goin' 'ta be the best captain a' the sea. All a' the seas!" the boy replied, his chest puffing out triumphantly, as only a young one's small and dedicated mind would. His glasses looked crooked on his small face, and nearly slipped off with the suddenness of his motion. His father let out a small chuckle, and reached to secure the rope keeping his small ship on the dock.

"Yer' off to a good start, boy. Ya' got a good 'un goin' there."

Out in the distance, the patter of feet could be heard; bare feet, beating down against the stony edge of the docks, mindful of the small crevice that was filled with sand. The boy turned around to face her- yes, her. The small girl he had met not too long ago, around his own age. He blinked and a small red blush spread across his cheeks as he caught himself noticing how her long, dark hair trailed behind her, the soft pants barely audible while she ran, giggling and screaming, calling his name. "Eridan!" she gave a giggle and a quick pant. "Eridan you're back! You have to come look; I found the cutest little crab!"

He ducked his head in a bit, glancing back at his father, who had just finished tying the boat in a more secure manner. The captain stretched his back, grunting, slipping off his white gloves and using them to dab at his brow. He only then caught sight of Eridan staring up at him with questioning eyes, as if asking for permission, or more appropriately, advice. Acknowledging this, he leaned down and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving him a light pat.

"Go on ta' 'er. I need ta' inspect the navigatin' systems properly anywaves." He gave him a slight wink after the pun, by which Eridan simply huffed, giving his father a quick kiss on the cheek and nodding quickly before darting off to meet his friend. The captain saluted him as he left, letting out a proud sigh and stepping onto the boat again, staring off at the helm towards the ocean.

The boy panted, catching up to her. She crashed into him, their heads bumping against each other. Eridan smiled, shoving her away from himself and laughing while rubbing his head, observing her pink and yellow goggles that dangled around her neck, the one piece Hawaiian flowered pink bathing suit, completed with yellow swimming shorts. Her dark eyes smiled at him, her hands clasped together in excitement.

"Eridan! Oh my glub! You'll never know what I found!"

"I-I heard you Fef. The crab." He was still panting.

"Oh, great! How'd you know?"

"Fef you were screamin' it! Cod you're so silly sometimes, haha!" Eridan poked her nose, and in return she stuck out her tongue towards him.

"No, _you're_ the shelly one! Mr. Big Boat Ampora!" As the boy opened his mouth to respond, she shook her head, grabbing his hand to tug him towards her findings. "Come here! I have to show it to you! I'm so happy; I think it's the biggest one in the whole sea!"

Eridan ran behind her, gripping her hand tightly. "You keep makin' so many puns, Fef, how lon' did you talk with my dad this mornin' and- woah!" He gasped as he witnessed a flash of a carapace whisking into the crevice between the sand and docks. "Fef is that what you meant? Wow! I-It's _huge_!"

She stopped to catch her breath, letting go of his hand and getting on her knees, following the trail on the sand slowly to the exact spot the oversized creature had hidden in, her hand reaching out towards it. Eridan gulped and stepped forward cautiously. "Fef be careful, those things have these massive claws that just grab you an' RAAWH RAWWH!" He clicked his hands and stomped on the sand, as if to prove his point to her. She, in turn, pressed her index finger to her lips to shoosh him.

"Eridan be _quiet_ or else he _will_ claw at me, be-tides, you're doing it all wrong!" She stood again, and stomped on the ground harder, walking sideways and flexing her hands, imitating a crab. "They go like _this_- and crabs don't _raawh_! What kind of silly fishy are you?" Feferi let out a giggle and knocked into him, watching him stumble back.

"No, they say raawh when you aren't listenin', I know it!" the boy grumbled, not about to be proven wrong by his best friend.

"You reely need to go scuba diving with me some more if you fin-k so!" she stated.

"I don't need no stupid scuba divin'! I know all aboat the sea, my daddy showed me."

"Hey! That's mean, scuba diving isn't stupid, and you only know about the surface stuff, you always miss the lovely corals, I bait you've never even sea-n a cuttlefish!"

Eridan stayed quiet, pulling a pout. He crossed his arms in frustration and looked out towards the ocean, not wanting to face her. Fef was being stupid anyway, he too knew about the ocean. He knew everything about the ocean. Okay, not everything. Fine, fine, he didn't know. But Fef didn't know anything either!

"Oh Eridan, I'm shorey!" She walked closer in front of him, trying to get him to look at her. He humphed and looked away, the motion making his glasses look even more lopsided than usual.

"Eridaaaan! Come on, don't be such a grumpy gills! Look at me! Come on, look!" She began to warble, and to his dismay, curiosity as to what she was doing got the better of him. He turned towards her slowly, finally breaking down into a fit of snorting and laughter. She had slipped on her goggles and squeezed her cheeks, making a fish face, her hands imitating gills. Her eyes were crossed, and she looked quite ridiculous.

"Glub glub! I'm a gruuuumpy gills, gluuub!" She muttered out, moving her face around as if she was swimming, walking in circles around him.

"Fef stop that! Cod you look silly- shelly, fine- no, don't you even dare, Fef! No t-ahaaa!" He tried to wrestle her off, his hands flying down to grab at her wrists and pry her away. Eridan's smile had spread across his face, attempting to wrestle off Feferi's hands from his sides. "I-I declare tickle war!"

She let out a snort and laughed as well as his hands flew to her neck and shoulders, tickling her as well. They each took unsynchronized turns at tickling each other, eventually falling down on the sand as they gasped for air, laughing weakly into the sunset. Children, it seemed, always had the best and simplest moments of joy, and being a young boy, with such a best friend… Who could ask for more? It was as if they were brother and sister. Together as family.

Or at least, that's how it used to be.

Because Eridan grew, and sometimes you don't think of your childhood friends as family anymore. Sometimes you wish they were more.


	2. Chapter 2

He swung his legs over the edge of the docks, the late morning air blowing through his heavily slicked hair. The air smelled of salt and water, the waves crashing against the wood and stone of the docks, not enough to shake them, but enough to spray upwards and make the boy splutter and wipe his face, his glasses blurry with stray water droplets, clouding his view. Eridan focused on them, his vision seeming to multiply as he moved his head around. Everything looked so big through a water drop, it was barely believable. But he could believe it, because he wasn't just a kid now, he was in his pre-teens, an awkward age for him, but he managed it gracefully, as one would expect from the son of one of the greatest ship captains on the seaside. Eridan spluttered again, another cold wave splashing against his feet. He was wearing purple and blue plaid bathing shorts, but other than that, he was bare.

The loud cawing of seagulls captured his attention, his body leaning forward against the edge of the dock to observe the distant ships, the one his father was leading in the distance. He saw the glimmering white of the boat, the way it trailed off into the distance, the large ripples on the sea water… Eridan couldn't help but smile. His father waved off at him from the distance, and he waved back enthusiastically, getting splashed again by the waves. He closed his eyes instead, to try and focus on his surroundings, to remember this day. Why was he so keen on remembering it?

Because this is the day he was going to go scuba diving for the first time with Feferi Peixes. He let out a nervous sigh that sent shivers down his slightly lanky body, and tried to steady his breathing. He focused on the taste of the salty sea water in his mouth, the drops of water clinging to his cowlick, dripping down his cheeks and dribbling off his chin. On the rough feel of the docks, the stony edge away from the wooden one that boats were usually tied to. On the way the ocean sounded whenever a ship was docked and tied, the soft splashing… The scurrying feet of the hermit crabs, and the splashing of freshly caught fish by a nearby fisherman…

"Hey Eridan! Wake up you clownfish!"

Eridan nearly fell down the stony hedge with the suddenness of these words, and blubbered nervously as he turned around. "Fef you could 'a _killed_ me! Cod!" He stumbled away from the edge, wiping his backside as he straightened to look at her closer. She had her usual goggles, but over her dark eyes, making them seem larger than usual. Feferi was already wearing most of her snorkel gear, but even then she looked like she carried more than was necessary.

"Whale I brought you some m-oar fin-gs, in case you're still a bait nervous aboat the water." She set it down in front of him, rummaging through the pile of gear. It was all fuchsia and purple, which made Eridan grit his small teeth in frustration. She knew exactly what his favorite color was, and obviously used it against him. There wasn't any other way after all. "I usually just swim with my goggles, since the reef is so close by, boat I understand if you want to wear the full suit!" She held up a stretchy full body snorkeling suit, black with purple sleeves and sides. Feferi had gone through all the trouble; she really wanted him to go with her, didn't she?

"Sea-riously Fef? You're makin' me wear this?" He looked at her in disbelief, his chest puffing out slightly. "I ain't afraid 'a no fish. I'll beat up any shark anglin' for tro-bubble!" He raised his fists in a defensive position, his long fingers curled up tightly as he whooshed one, then two randomly aimed arm thrusts into the air. Feferi let out a giggle and rested her hands on her hips, tilting slightly.

"Stop carping around Eridan, there's no sharks near the reefs! Otherwise your daddy wouldn't let you snorkel. Now, since you're so excited aboat this almost as much as I am, let's go! Pick up some goggles and we'll jump in." She gave the pile a light kick, the pile of gear tumbling slightly to reveal black and purple goggles that looked as if they had been used often. He frowned at her and reluctantly picked them up.

"Alright fin, I'm goin'. Boat I'm not swimmin' near the docks, Fef. Boats are around here an' they can be reely dangerous." He shuffled nervously, and Feferi rolled her eyes at him.

"Wow you're such a shelly fishy, I was going to take you to the otter side of the beach! Come on!" Feferi left the pile where it was, the people around them knew them well enough to not take it, and were pretty trustworthy. Eridan hesitated before following, grabbing the pair of goggle before rushing towards her, following her quick steps and not really excited about this.

They both ran, the pitter patter of their bare feet against the stony edge of the docks, the girl's laughter chiming through his ears, leading him onto the sandy surface of a shore. His damp swimming trunks flapping against his scrawny and awkward legs were uncomfortable to him, and worse to him was the fact that he had never gone swimming before. Yes, he had dipped his feet on the shallow end of the beach, and on occasion gone as far as to lie down on the shore and let the waves roll over his body, covering up to his neck as stray sand travelled uncomfortably through his trunks, letting the bitter and salty taste of the water creep into his mouth before spitting it back out. But he had never dived down to see beyond the clusters of deep green algae that floated and caked the surface of their beach, never had seen the rainbow of colors Feferi had so often described to him every day and night they spent together. He had never seen the beautiful plants and variety of sponges that covered the ragged edges of the reef. Knowing he would be faced with the sudden danger of possibly drowning in front of his best friend was enough to frighten him away from dipping himself deeper than waist high water.

Soon enough, however, they were at the farthest dock, Feferi already slipping down her swimming shorts to show off her usual pink flowery bathing suit. She was bursting with joy and excitement, as usual, chirping away at Eridan about the wonders of the reef, the beauty of the cuttlefish, the fascination she had with the sea urchins. Eridan, however, simply stood there, awkwardly rubbing his arm and feeling quite nervous.

"Oh Eridan you'll glub them! They're so colorful, and they tickle when they swim by you! You have to be very still though so they can trust you, boat I'm pretty shore they already trust me, so you should be safe." She fixed her goggles on her face, her eyelashes batting at him excitedly.

"Safe? Fef I'm not so shore anymore. Wh-w-what if it ends w-wrong? I mean, w-we don't ev-ven know-w if this place is ev-ven healthy enough to sw-wim in an'-"

"Stop being such a grumpy gills! You'll glub it, now get your gear on so we can dive!"

Eridan looked down at the water, completely disregarding how hard he was shaking. Feferi crept up behind him and gave him a surprise hug, to which he jumped and shoved her away. She frowned in return, her hands on her hips as her cheeks puffed out in annoyance. "Eridan! You know what? I'm shore you'd love sea urchins. They're just like you! Prickly and mean."

Eridan felt wounded by this, maybe more than usual. He was used to Feferi calling him mean by now, after all, they practically grew up together. But somehow, hearing it now just stung. "I-I'm shorey Fef! I just… I guess I'm a bait nerv-vous." Eridan let out a deep sigh, adjusting his goggles onto his own face. He was nervous, and his heavy breathing kept fogging up the lenses, the rubber strap pressing into his gel-coated hair. He laid his hands at his sides, glancing down nervously at the water, which twinkled with the bright sunlight. It was almost clear enough to see the school of fishes swimming by, and he had to admit that she knew where to pick a good place to swim itn. It was isolated from the boats, the loud honking now heard in a distance. It seemed that the sea creatures enjoyed living there, even from the surface he could see the many different creatures, and not too far off, the reef. The colorful coral poked out in places from the water, decades lacking boat traffic there having aided its massive growth. It was calm, the waves rising slowly, not crashing against the dock as they had earlier. Eridan let out a shakey, salt-tasting breath as he closed his eyes, trying to brave himself for a jump.

Eridan felt a hand slowly grasp his own, familiar fingers entangling themselves in his, almost as if it was a perfect fit.

"Eridan, we can jump in together if you want. I know you're reely scared, boat I promise I'll be with you all the wave!"

He turned his head slowly, his eyes opening to greet a wide smile. She always smiled like this, not just with her lips which showed every bright, white, glistening tooth, but with her eyes, her nose, her whole body. As if every muscle she had was in sync, bright and happy, and intent on making him feel the same. Of course, Eridan couldn't help himself, and the boy showed a slight smile, feeling a bit more calm.

"You'll jump in w-with me Fef? Reely?"

"Of course! We can count to three, or maybe even fish!"

"Fish isn't a number Fef."

"Whale it can be! One, two, three, fish! Sea?"

He sighed. There was no reasoning with her, and he couldn't help but simply feel joyful around her. "Fin. W-we'll do that then. At fish."

"Ocray! Ready? One…"

"W-wait, I- I changed my mind, Fef!"

"Two…"

"No Fef!"

"Three…"

"Fef I'm sea-rious, stop!"

"Fish!"

She took in a deep breath, and so did he, knowing better than to expect her to stop for him like that. With a quick step back, she jumped, pulling him with her, and she dived down into the water. Her long and flowing hair barely splashed as her body slid into the water, as if it was a long-lost friend. Eridan didn't have the same grace, almost falling face-first. Thankfully, her own dive seemed to lead his own, and he awkwardly landed somewhat on his side, holding his breath as well as he could, feeling the water clinging to his skin, the schools of fish around them quickly dissipating into the depths. Eridan opened his eyes under his goggles, watching the mass amount of bubbles rise up between them, looking around desperately for Feferi. The bubbles cleared away quickly, and he jerked back as he saw the chipper swimmer in front of him, staring directly into his eyes. He gave a horrified expression, which quickly melted away into anger, motioning for her to swim back up with him. Feferi rolled her eyes behind her own small goggles, but accompanied him to the surface.

"I could 'a died, Fef!" He yelled, gasping desperately for air as his gel-coated hair now awkwardly hung in large clumps on his face. Eridan frustratingly jerked them back, spitting out salty sea-water. Feferi let out a giggle.

"Oh Eridan, don't be shelly! I wouldn't have let you die, that's why we're holding hands! I'll protect you from the eeevil water." She wiggled her free hand in his face, and he slapped it away, trying to ignore that fact. That's right, they _were_ still holding hands. He had entirely forgotten it, and he couldn't hide the bright red blush that spread along his cheeks.

"This is sea-rious! W-what w-would you hav-ve done if I w-wasn't so obv-viously skilled in sw-wimmin'?"

"Ugh, you're such a blowfish, Eridan! Will you stop being so overdramatic and just swim with me?"

He'd have fought more. He'd have yelled at her at the top of his lungs, the same way his father would yell at him whenever he'd ask why he take so long in his latest trips. The same way everyone else yelled at him about his horrible hair. But there was something in the way that she was looking at him, those big, dark eyes and her wide, almost scary toothy smile that he couldn't bring himself to unleash his horrible pre-teen wrath on. So Eridan let out a sigh, and nodded.

"Fine. But I w-want to sea some real amazin' stuff, Fef. I'm not aboat to risk my glubbin' life for some low-w class animal."

She let out a small giggle that he swore sounded just like a dolphin. "You'll glub it!" She said, and took in a deep breath. As soon as he took one as well, they both dived down, not too far below, and she led him as quickly as she could towards the reef. The sea creatures seemed to almost recognize her, the way they trailed and followed her, swimming around her, tangling themselves in her hair. Small little silver fishes seemed to peek out from her hair towards Eridan, who simply glowered at them. However, he couldn't hold that stance for long. The pink and orange coral peeked out from the distance, and Eridan's expression softened. The blue water was so soft on his skin; it made him get goose bumps. He approached it slowly, algae swirling around them. Feferi pointed at the coral, and swam closer to it. Eridan followed her, and without warning, found a small cluster of sea urchins hidden around a rock in the reef. He panicked, they were way too close and he nearly swam into them. The boy shot up to the surface, leaving Feferi to stare after him, rolling her eyes. She tugged at his hand to come dive again, and he reluctantly followed.

But then she did something that made him almost panic. She reached over and very carefully took an urchin in her hands. Eridan let out a whimper under the water, bubbles shooting up from his nostrils as he swam back to the surface.

"Fef are you _insane_? Those fin-gs can krill you, you'll end up in the hospital and-"

"Eridan will you just shut up and look?" She held it up with her hands, and he looked down at the urchin.

"I… It doesn't hurt?"

Feferi shook her head, smiling. "It doesn't hurt at all! Give me your hands." Eridad did so, extending his hands out to her cautiously. She gently rolled the urchin onto his hands, and he let out a small whimper. "Shh…" She swam closer, eyes on the small creature. "Sea? It's just like you Eridan…"

"W-what? How-w the fish is it like me?"

"Shoosh!" She held his wrist, still staring at the sea creature. "It's spiky and mean and dark, boat… It doesn't mean to be. It's just how it defends itshell." She looked up at him, smiling. Eridan stared back through his goggles. "Boat the reely finny thing is… That it uses those sharp spikes to protect its soft insides." Feferi took the urchin from his hand, gently dropping it into the reef, and turning to face Eridan, poking his sides. "Just like you!"

Eridan squirmed and tried to slap her hands away. "W-we're in the w-water, Fef! I'll die!"

She let out her usual chiming giggle, stopping her tickles and diving down again. Her dark hair flowed freely, and it felt like those hours were simply a minute to him, watching her point excitedly at every small thing that swam by. He smiled more now, and slowly went further and further away from her until he bumped into what seemed a group of small seahorses. Eridan pointed at them, motioning at Feferi to approach them.

She nodded and swam closer, and Eridan extended his hands and managed to clasp a small seahorse in his hands. It looked small and frail, and he looked at it in complete awe as it remained clasped in his hand. When he reached to touch its fin, it curled its tail around his finger, and she let out a bubbly giggle. They needed to go up for air again. Eridan, however, didn't want to let go, this small creature seemed to endearing to him, in a way he would not admit. Feferi tugged his arm to the surface, the small animal writhing and twirling in his hand underwater, somewhat uncomfortable.

"Looks like you got a new frond!" she smiled again, and Eridan looked down at the seahorse.

"I can't keep it."

"Well it looks reely sick, Eridan… Maybe we should take care of it."

He looked at it closer; examining it, seeing it gasp for air (or water) more desperately than what the others of his kind seemed to be. Sighing, he nodded. "Maybe I can keep him, just for a little w-while, at least… until he's betta." He bit back his lip and took off his goggles, dipping them in the water and carefully laying the poor seahorse inside. It was dangerous, and he heard from his father that sea creatures should stay in the sea… But he couldn't help it, he couldn't bear to see this specific one so hurt…

It was then that he became intrigued by the strange colors. White, entirely white, unlike the other fleshy colored family that was around him. Eridan gave it a soft poke, and smiled as he felt the tail curl and uncurl around his finger once more. "W-we need to get back, Fef. It's… reely dangerous stayin' out here with a sick creature an' all."

"Yeah, I know. Let's go then! I hope you liked your first trip underwater, you even made a new frond! Maybe even your dad will be back by now and you'll show it to him!" She clasped her hands together at the thought, and dove towards the docks. Eridan didn't dive, but he cradled the seahorse into his goggles and in his arms gently, swimming as slowly and carefully as he could to keep him safe.

They reached the docks after a long while of patient waiting from Feferi, and quickly got to work. She somehow managed to find a bowl and dipped it in the sea water, gathering small plants and rocks to decorate the bottom. "This wave it'll feel more comfortabubble and get betta faster." She told him when he looked at her questioningly. He then slowly dipped his goggles into the bowl, letting the poor animal swim about awkwardly. Eridan smiled at it, and resisted the urge to tap the glass to make sure it was alright.

He made a new friend.

"Fef I fin-k I hav-ve to go now-w." he muttered, and she nodded, handing him the bowl.

"Be coral-ful, Eridan! It's reely delicate, and we don't want to accidentally krill him!"

The thought made him cringe.

"Yeah yeah I know-w Fef. I'll sea you tomorrow-w or somefin." He staggered a bit with the bowl, but managed to get his balance and walk back to his home, back to where he could go and look through books of seahorses and their habitat.

Eridan spent the whole night reading. His father hadn't returned yet, but he was too focused on other things, like how his new friend seemed to stare at him and blow a few bubbles from its snout, how the water seemed to glisten on the surface, how it would stay still and then jump slightly. He noticed a fin seemed to be slightly hurt, and when he looked closer, he saw the creature was coated in what seemed like some sort of unnatural slimy looking substance. The poor thing was sick. But Eridan took it upon himself to make him feel better.

"You ain't gonna be like her. You're goin' to get betta, an' you're goin' to grow-w an' w-watch me grow-w, just like she w-was meant to." He pressed his face onto the glass, blinking at it. The seahorse simply stared back. "I'm goin' to name you somethin' magnificent an' you'll be the greatest thing in the sea. Just like my father, an' in the future, just like me. W-we'll rule the w-whole ocean, an' marry the sea princess Fef." The seahorse just continued staring, his hurt fin twitching now and then. Eridan picked up a pencil and paper, and began scribbling down a letter.

"_Dear Mom,_

_Your birthday's tomorrow and I found a new friend. My w's and v's aren't getting better, but no one cares really so I don't see the worth of going the whole trouble to fix how I talk. I'm the son of the greatest sea captain ever born, and I don't see why the heck I should be treated like some low-life scum about whatever my speech patterns seem to include or repeat. But at least in paper you can't hear me. _

_I just want you to know that I'm going to take care of my friend, and Fef and I will hang out even more. I really like her Mom and I'm making her my princess someday. Just like you used to be to Dad. But I'm going to be better, and I won't let her die. I won't let anyone die again. Not even my new seahorse friend. I miss you Mom. But don't flipping tell anyone. I can do just fine on my own. _

_Your son,_

_Eridan."_

He folded the paper as neatly as he could and set it aside.

Eridan hoped his father would be back early to visit his mother every year like they promised. He was too young and already he felt something was missing from his life. Something very important. But as missions and strategies of how he would conquer the ocean took over his mind, the preteen sailor simply dozed off at his desk. He was constant


End file.
